


A Very Rucas Christmas

by buffymysavior



Category: Girl Meets World
Genre: Christmas Cookies, Christmas Decorating, Christmas Fluff, Christmas Movies, Christmas Music, Christmas Presents, Christmas Shopping, F/M, Gift-Wrapping, Ice Skating, Mutual Pining, Triangle Never Existed, promise rings, slight AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-21
Updated: 2018-03-21
Packaged: 2019-04-05 16:02:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 14,579
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14047827
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/buffymysavior/pseuds/buffymysavior
Summary: Lucas spends Christmas with the Matthews while his parents visit family in Texas. What happens when Riley and Lucas spend a week together? Will the magic of Christmas finally bring them together?





	1. Lucas Stays for the Holidays

Riley sat on her bed as she watched the snow fall outside her window. It was late Sunday night, and the sky was dark, shimmering with bright stars. She was supposed to be doing her homework: her sophomore teachers gave students much more homework than her old teachers did. But Riley just couldn’t resist watching the snowflakes fall onto the ground. Christmas had always been her favorite holiday. To Riley, the magic of Christmas was tangible, and she tried to spread her holiday cheer in any way that she could.

Riley continued to stare at the window, mesmerized, until at one point, she found herself captivated by a pair of emerald green eyes instead of the white snowflakes outside. She walked over to her window and opened it up, letting Lucas inside.

“Lucas,” Riley greeted cheerfully. “I wasn’t expecting you this evening.”

“Is that okay?” Lucas asked, sitting next to her in the bay window.

“Of course!” Riley smiled. “It’s always okay for you to come visit me. I was just watching the snowfall.”

“You and your romance,” Lucas grinned. Riley sighed in content.

“I can’t help it. Christmas is just so _romantic_ ,” Riley gushed. Lucas shook his head at her, but his face was smiling despite himself.

“Anyways,” Riley continued, “is there a reason you came to see me?”

Lucas sat in thought for a few seconds, before speaking up. “Actually, I have a huge favor to ask you, and you don’t have to say yes.”

Riley nodded at him. “Okay. What’s your favor?”

“My family is going to Texas for Christmas like they always do. I really wanted to spend Christmas in New York this year with all of my friends, but they won’t let me unless I can stay with someone,” Lucas began.

Riley felt the smile on her face growing, seeing where this was headed. “And you wanted to ask if you could spend Christmas at my house?”

He nodded, nervous of her answer. “It would only be for the week, and Zay’s family is going back to Texas, too, so I couldn’t ask him, and Farkle’s family is going on a cruise for a few days and Maya would relentlessly make fun of me and-”

Riley cut him off, putting her hand on his shoulder. “Lucas, calm down, I’m sure it would be okay,” she said, giving him a soft smile. “My family would love to have you over for Christmas. Just let me ask my parents.” The moment she got up, however, her door swung open and her father appeared. 

“You!” Cory yelled, pointing at Lucas. Lucas looked bewildered at her father, clearly intimidated by him. 

“Daddy, have you been eavesdropping?” Riley asked astounded, sitting back down.

“Why do you sound so surprised? A boy is in your room. Of course I was eavesdropping,” Cory replied.

“How did you even know I was in here, sir?’ Lucas asked shocked.

Cory looked at him knowingly. “I’m a father. We sense these things.” He glanced between the two disgustedly. “I should have come in here sooner.” 

“Anyways,” Riley said, getting up and patting her father on the shoulder. “Since you were already listening, can Lucas-”

“No!” Cory said. “No, no, no! I’ve been through this before. You do not want to go down this road. Your mother spent Christmas with me once when I was your age, and that was terrible!”

Topanga suddenly appeared in the doorway. “Did you just say that the very first Christmas we spent together was terrible?”

“What? No, I didn’t say that…,” Cory panicked. “Well, I did, but I only said it because Lucas wants to stay here for Christmas while his family goes to Texas!” 

“Of course he can,” Topanga said, smiling at the two. Cory’s mouth dropped in horror.

“He gets to stay here?” he asked his wife. 

“Uh-huh,” Topanga replied.

“With us?”

“Mhm.”

“For a whole week?” Cory asked weakly.

“Yes, Cory. It’s Christmas!” Topanga shouted, crossing her arms. 

Cory turned back to Lucas, glaring at him. “I’ll be watching you.”

“I promise I’ll be no trouble, sir,” Lucas said, flashing a grin at the brunette’s father.

Cory stomped out of the room instead of answering, Topanga following him. “Tell your parents you are more than welcome to stay with us. Have fun, kids,” she smiled, walking out the door.

Riley turned back to Lucas. “Well, that went better than I expected!” she smiled.

“Thank you so much, Riley,” Lucas said, a soft smile on his lips. Riley thought there was something different in his green eyes other than the usual kindness and love she saw. Before she could answer him, he said, “I’ll see you tomorrow.” He climbed out the window, and all Riley could do was smile. 

She had a strong feeling that this would be a very special Christmas.

* * *

“You’re kidding, right?” Maya said as she plopped down on the bay window seat. “Huckleberry isn’t actually spending Christmas with you?”

“I can’t believe it either,” Riley said excitedly. “I have a feeling this Christmas is going to be the best one yet.”

“Riles, you say that every year,” Maya laughed. “Ol’ Huckleberry is probably going to make you all tip a cow for his Christmas traditions.”

“Don’t make fun of his Christmas traditions, please. He’s never spent the holidays here in New York and I don’t want to make him feel excluded.”

“You really like him?” Maya groaned.

“I really do,” Riley smiled. Maya sighed. 

“Fine. I’ll lay off on the jokes. But if he doesn’t end up wearing a cowboy hat, I’m going to be thoroughly disappointed,” Maya said, hopping out of the window. “I’ve gotta go. My mom and Shawn want to start packing for our trip. Shawn wants to review some places for Hit the Road so we can get back before Christmas Eve.”

“Okay,” Riley smiled. “Have fun, Peaches. And thank you for laying off the Lucas jokes.”

Maya shrugged. “Well, seeing how you’re all head over heels for Ranger Rick, and the fact that it’s Christmas and whatnot, I might as well. He can consider it his present,” she smirked. 

“I’m sure he will appreciate it very much. And clearly I have good taste in best friends,” Riley said, patting Maya’s head. 

“This we’ve always known,” Maya said, before leaving through the window. Riley’s heart soared at all of the possibilities Lucas’s staying for the holidays could bring.

* * *

Maya arrived at Riley’s apartment later that night to see Lucas settle in for the holidays, and to possibly sneak in a joke or two. Unfortunately, he did not wear a cowboy hat, which was not to Maya’s liking.

 “Come on, Hopalong! I just want to see you in some cowboy boots before I leave tomorrow.” Shawn was packing up the Hart family to go travel a little bit before the holidays came. She wouldn’t be back until Christmas Eve.

Riley smiled at Lucas as he sat next to her on the couch. “Are you sure you’re going to be okay without your family for Christmas, Lucas?”

He nodded. “My family didn’t really do much for Christmas anyways. It just came and went every year. I thought I might like to try and spend it here in New York with my friends.”

“You are always welcome here,” Riley smiled again. His green eyes looked at her kindly.

Topanga came back from Auggie’s room, having set up Lucas’s bed. “I hope you don’t mind you’ll be staying in Auggie’s room, Lucas.”

Lucas smiled politely and shrugged. “It’s not a problem for me, Mrs. Matthews. Again, thank you so much for letting me stay here for Christmas. I really appreciate it.”

Topanga smiled sweetly at him. “You are still the most charming young man I have ever met. And we’re always glad to have you here.”

“I don’t get that much of a warm welcome when I’m here,” Maya grumbled next to Riley, stirring her eggnog with a plastic straw.

Mrs. Matthews rolled her eyes at the short blonde girl. Riley took Maya’s hand and took her to the bay window.

“Are you sure you’re going to be okay with this?” Riley asked her worriedly. Maya shrugged.

“With Ranger Rick being here? Of course I’m okay. Why?" 

“I just...I don’t want you to feel like I’m replacing you while you’re gone,” Riley confessed, her big brown eyes full of worry. She had been thinking about it every since Maya had left her bay window last night. 

“You’re not replacing me, Riles. It’s just for Christmas,” Maya said.

Riley frowned. “But...what if it’s not just for Christmas? What if it’s for the rest of our lives? What are our priorities now that we’re in high school?”

Maya put her arm around Riley. “It’s okay to like boys, Riley, because it’s a different kind of feeling. Besides, it’s not always going to be Riley and Maya.” 

“How do we make it okay?” Riley questioned innocently. “How do we make it okay that it won’t always just be me and you?” 

Maya sat for a moment in thought. “We remember that we will always be best friends, no matter who we let in our lives.” 

Riley smiled softly, but sadness hid in her expression. “I’m sure my uncle will be glad to see you when you come back, Peaches.”

“I sure hope so,” Maya laughed. “Wouldn’t want to be third-wheeling with you and Huckleberry.” Riley blushed, hoping that there was a her and Lucas after this week.

Maya left out the window, getting ready for the few day trip over her Christmas break. 

After a few minutes, Lucas came up to her room. “Are you okay?” He sat where Maya would normally sit.

Riley smiled gently at him, staring into his bright green eyes. He smiled back. He always had such a beautiful smile.

She broke her gaze and looked down at her friendship ring. “Yeah. Yeah, I think I will be.”


	2. Decorating the Christmas Tree

Riley and Lucas walked down the steps to the living room. Riley looked back at him, the smile on her face brightening as her eyes met his. She couldn’t wait to show him all of her Christmas traditions.

Topanga had already put up the Christmas decorations a few days before. The house was cheery with holly, tinsel, mistletoe, lights, wreaths, and other Christmas festivities. Stockings were hung on the mantle (Riley keeps stockings for all of her friends in her room), and quirky little Christmas signs were hung on walls and door knobs. The only thing missing was the Christmas tree.

“Mom, when are we going to go Christmas tree shopping?” Riley asked as she sat down on the couch next to Lucas.

The woman shrugged. “How about right now? It’s a week before Christmas. We should probably get it done while we can.”

Riley grinned, immediately hopping up from her spot. “Yay! I’ll go tell Dad and Auggie,” she cheered, skipping down the hallway to tell her brother and father to get ready to go. Lucas looked after her and smiled at how adorable she was. Topanga didn’t miss the unmistakable look in his eyes as he glanced back at her daughter. She smiled to herself as her children and husband came back to the living room.

* * *

An hour car ride later, they arrived at a Christmas tree farm. Riley was bouncing in her seat in excitement, Auggie was impatient from the long drive, Cory complained about the fact that they had to get an actual Christmas tree, something he did every year, and Topanga was glaring at Cory. Lucas watched the whole family in amazement.

“Quit being a baby,” Topanga scolded her husband as they looked at the aisles of Christmas trees. There were plenty left, despite the fact that Christmas was in a week. The parents usually let their children pick the Christmas tree out, but Lucas helped them, too. 

“Have you ever been Christmas tree shopping?” Riley asked Lucas as she shoved her hands into the pockets of her pea coat. Lucas shook his head.

“No. My family seemed to prefer their silver aluminum tree,” he responded.

“I could understand that,” Cory said, Topanga rolling her eyes. Cory had grown up with a silver Christmas tree. It was one of the things that had initiated the fight Cory and Topanga had during the first Christmas they spent together.

Riley laughed, knowing what had happened that Christmas. Cory and Topanga told her every childhood story about them. Instead of bedtime stories, she heard about the epic love story of her parents.

Riley’s parents followed the kids around until they all stopped at a beautiful tree. “This one,” Riley and Auggie said in unison. Lucas laughed at the pair as the tree was cut and they loaded it onto the car, ready for the one hour drive back to the brownstone apartment.

* * *

The tree was finally set up after much difficulty, and the lights were already strewn on. “My aluminum tree wouldn’t have been this much trouble,” Cory grumbled. Topanga rolled her eyes.

“Cory, that’s probably because you have the upper body strength of celery and you couldn’t carry it all the way,” she laughed. Cory pouted in the corner. Lucas and Riley laughed at the pair as they got out Christmas ornaments.

“Did you have a favorite ornament back in Texas?” Riley asked. Lucas smiled.

“Well...promise you won’t laugh?” he asked.

“I pinkie promise,” she said, extending her pinkie towards him. He locked his pinkie around hers and she giggled. “So what was it?”

“I never really had a favorite, but if I had to choose, it would be a sheep with a cowboy hat,” he laughed. “Don’t tell Maya. She’ll never let me live it down.”

“I won’t. I swear,” she promised, amused. She opened a box of ornaments, took a few, and hung them up on empty spots on the tree. Lucas followed suit and stood next to her, hanging the ornaments on the higher branches while Auggie and Riley got the lower and middle branches. Lucas smiled down at Riley, but she didn’t see him. She wasn’t really doing anything besides fluffing out the tree, but she made even that look graceful. She looked up and caught his gaze, and she shyly smiled. They stared at each other a little too long to be just friends. 

“Do you have a favorite ornament?” Lucas asked thoughtfully, not breaking his gaze. She broke the stare reluctantly and she rummaged through the box of ornaments. After a few moments, she held up a purple cat and handed it to him. Lucas smiled in awe, and said, “I guess I’m shocked the most that stores sell purple cat ornaments.” 

Riley shook her head. “They don’t. Believe me, I checked. I made this when I was seven years old. I used to have a stuffed animal version of it, but it’s tucked away in my closet.”

“Why don’t you use it anymore?” Lucas asked. He knew Riley loved her stuffed animals and she liked to display them proudly.

She shrugged. “I didn’t need it anymore. I had Maya. That cat used to be my only friend, and then Maya crawled in through my window. The ornament is just a reminder of who I am now,” she said, feeling a sad nostalgia wash over her.

Lucas gazed at the ornament pinched between his fingers. It shocked him that Riley didn’t have much friends when she was younger. When he had first met Riley, she had a sort of light about her. That’s what attracted him to her the most initially when they first met. He had come to love all the quirky, adorable things about Riley and he loved her personality. It angered him and also saddened him that the girl who brought him back used to be alone.

“If I had lived here when I was seven, I would’ve been your friend,” Lucas promised. Riley smiled quirkily. 

“Thank you, Lucas. That’s very sweet of you,” she said. But a part of her wondered the meaning behind his words. 

Lucas handed her back the ornament and she hung it up in the middle. She said it was because she liked to look at it, as a reminder of how far she’s come in the past nine years and how lucky she is to have all of her friends. Her eyes widened in delight as she told him all about it, and Lucas loved nothing more than the look in her eyes as she spoke about the things she was passionate about. Lucas wondered if anyone would see the same look in his eyes when he talked about her.

The kids continued to hang the ornaments on the tree until it was finished. Riley looked over at Lucas and part of her thought that maybe the starry look in his eyes was more than the twinkling lights.

Cory picked up the last piece in the box: the tree topper. Riley had made it when she was five. Normally, Cory would lift Riley on his shoulders and let her put it on the top of the tree, but apparently he pulled a muscle carrying the Christmas tree. Topanga retorted this, clearly amused, saying that he couldn’t pull what he doesn’t have. Somewhere in the midst of the argument, Lucas spoke up. “Riley can get on my shoulders,” he offered. He knew Riley loved tradition and would hate to see the tree topper missing from the tree during Christmas. Cory’s eyes widened, astounded. 

Cory was about to protest until Riley nodded bashfully. Lucas leaned down and Riley hopped up, resting her legs on his shoulders. Lucas held onto her thighs and hoisted her up, excitement flooding Riley’s stomach. She placed the tree topper on the top branch, and he gently brought her back to the ground. Riley staggered slightly and he reached after her, his arms catching her stumbling body. Riley hesitantly looked into his green eyes, a hidden meaning in them. “You really are as strong as a horse,” she said light-heartedly. Lucas laughed lightly and released her. Cory looked at the two, his mouth contorted into disgust. He walked away, shaking his head.

* * *

Lucas lied on his air mattress, staring at the ceiling. He had never not spent a Christmas in Texas. It felt strange to be away from home this time of the year, but he didn’t regret staying. He would finally have a chance to have an actual Christmas experience. He was especially excited to spend it with Riley.

Riley. His sunshine. The light of his life. He smiled as he thought about her. He planned to do something about their relationship while he was staying with her. They had been dancing around the subject of their relationship for the past three years, and ever since they had tried to be a couple and failed, they hadn’t talked about where they stood. They were friends, but Lucas wanted something more with her, and he had the perfect plan to do it. He had thought of it months ago, but he wanted to wait until Christmas, her favorite time of the year. He had intended for a while now to stay in New York for the holidays, but it was just an unexpected bonus that he was living with Riley for the next week. Funny how that worked out, he thought.

He closed his eyes, but his mind was restlessly thinking about the beautiful brown-eyed girl in the next room.


	3. Baking Cookies

The next morning, Lucas woke up to Christmas songs blaring throughout the whole apartment. He blinked several times to get the sleep out of his eyes, then walked down the steps to find Riley in an apron collecting ingredients from cabinets. “Good morning,” she greeted cheerfully. Lucas’s face brightened as he saw the brunette.

“Morning, Riles,” he said. Maya wasn’t around to protest the nickname this time. Riley blushed, liking the way it sounded out of his mouth. She glimpsed at his flannel pajama pants and t-shirt before turning back to the ingredients. “What are you making?” he asked.

Riley gathered a few more ingredients and set them on the counter. “Actually, _we_ are making it. I know that Christmas wasn’t a huge celebration in your house, and I want you to get the full experience. So, you and I are going to make Christmas cookies.”

Lucas grinned in amazement at her. “You’re that concerned about me enjoying the holidays here?”

She smiled. “Yeah. I am.” But both of them wondered if there was a bigger reason.

“Okay. Let’s get started,” he smiled. He stood next to her as she organized everything onto the counter.

She centered a mixing bowl on the small counter and looked at her recipe, various utensils and measuring cups surrounding her. “Okay. Grab the eggs, flour, and sugar. I’ll get the baking powder, butter, vanilla extract, and salt,” she said. They both scrambled around the small counter, looking for what they needed. They grabbed their items and followed the recipe.

“Put a cup and a half of butter in the bowl,” Riley instructed the older boy. He listened to her, putting the butter in the bowl after melting it for a minute. Riley added two cups of sugar into the bowl as well, and she told Lucas to stir it. She beat four eggs, and Lucas continued to whip the rest of the ingredients into the recipe.

Riley set the oven to 400 degrees. Lucas admired her as he stood next to her. "I didn't know you could bake," he admitted.

"When you work in a bakery, you pick up on quite a few things," she quipped. Riley got a cookie sheet and several cereal bowls out of a cabinet. "Now we're going to make the icing," she said. She smiled up at him, the corners of her lips practically reaching her eyes. Lucas loved that smile. "This is my favorite part," she confessed.

"What do we need to make it?" Lucas asked curiously. This was fun, especially if he got to eat the leftover icing.

She reached over him, picking up the confectioners sugar and milk. "Also, we could add things like food coloring and sprinkles and candies," she gushed. "It's like your own creation. Plus, you can't go wrong with rainbow sprinkles!" she added, picking up a container of sprinkles he hadn't noticed before. He laughed at how adorable she was.

Riley blushed. After filling a few icing bags with icing and making a few other colors, she grasped the container that held food coloring. "I'm guessing you want blue?"

He smirked. "You know me too well, Matthews." She shrugged.

"I've noticed that you wear the color blue a lot is all." He didn't know why that the fact she noticed that made him happy, but it did.

Riley poured the milk and powdered sugar in a bowl, mixing it so it it wasn't too soupy or thick. She added a few drops of blue food coloring and stirred the color into the bowl. Lucas wrapped his hand over Riley’s on the spoon handle and flung it up in her face. Blue icing adorned her cheeks, splattering her entire face. She took an icing bag filled with red icing and put it on his nose, squeezing the icing bag. Lucas now had a red dot on his nose. “Lucas the Red-Nosed Reindeer!” she giggled. Lucas smirked and picked up the icing bag filled with green.

“No!” Riley shrieked. “At least let me take a picture of your reindeer nose before you attack me.” Lucas held his hands up in surrender before Riley took out her phone and snapped a picture of him, then she quickly picked up a red icing bag and drew a heart around his face. She laughed as he looked at her with a surprised expression.

“I can’t believe I fell for that,” he admitted, sounding somewhat shocked. She snapped another picture of him before smiling at him, her face looking so innocent.

Riley feigned a curtsy. “Please, hold your applause.” Lucas rolled his eyes before pinning her to the counter and splattering her face with icing. Riley giggled as they continued to blast each other with their icing fight.

Let’s just say they had to make another batch of cookies.


	4. Shopping for Presents

“Lucas!” Riley said, knocking on the door. “Get up!”

Lucas pulled back his blankets and got up, still in his pajamas. He opened the door, revealing the face of the pretty brunette in a knitted burgundy beanie, knee-high boots with leg-warmers, comfortable jeans, and a matching burgundy sweater. A holiday themed scarf was tucked around her neck, and her hair fell around her face in curls. She looked beautiful. The already big smile on her face brightened at the sight of him.

“What’s on the list today, Miss Matthews?” Lucas asked, leaning on the door frame.

“Well, actually I was wondering if you wanted to do some last minute Christmas shopping. I had a few things that I wanted to get and thought that you might want to come.” She hoped that he would come along with her. She had enjoyed the past two days, especially because they had been spent with Lucas.

“I’d love to,” he smiled, secretly excited that she had invited him. Riley smiled wider.

“Okay. Well, I’ll let you get dressed,” she said shyly, closing the door behind her. Lucas grinned to himself, hurriedly putting his clothes on for the day.

* * *

Lucas and Riley stood side by side as they boarded the train, releasing their linked arms. At some point, Riley had interlocked their arms to drag him to meet the ten o’clock train, since they had been running late. Riley found herself missing the warmth of his rather muscular shoulder, then shrugged off the feeling and pushed it to the back of her mind.

Lucas sat down in the priority seat on the subway, Riley, rather clumsily, making her way past the other people on the train to sit next to him. As she finally found her way to the seat, Lucas laughed. “You’re not going to fall into my lap, are you?”

Riley laughed in return. “I promise I’ll try to control my limbs this time.”

Lucas’s eyes crinkled as he looked at the pretty girl next to him. “It’s okay if you do fall. I’ll always catch you, Riley Matthews,” he whispered quietly.

Riley blushed and her heart felt like it was beating faster and stopping all at once, something that only Lucas’s presence caused. She just smiled in response, sitting in a comfortable silence that the two could never endure when they had tried dating.

Lucas seemed to be thinking about similar thoughts. How when they had tried dating, awkward silences followed very little words. That’s why they had stayed friends up until now. They had never really been “just friends.” They both knew that there had always been something more. Lucas worried that by acting on those feelings, they would return back to the awkward state they had been in before. But somehow, sureness of his feelings for her overpowered his worries, and Lucas pushed the thoughts to the back of his mind.

The train stopped, and they both walked off the subway together, putting all their confusing thoughts about each other to rest.

Riley made her way to the mall. She looked around excitedly, pulling a list out of her pocket. “I have to stop and pick up some things at Bath and Body Works,” she chippered. Lucas internally groaned.

“Isn’t that where they sell perfume and soap and stuff?” Lucas whined. Riley giggled.

“Yes, and you are going with me, Mr. Friar,” she teased, dragging him with her.

“But…,” Lucas tried to think of an excuse that wouldn’t offend her.

“Please!” she pleaded. “It’ll be fun, I promise.” She gave him her best puppy eyes.

He groaned. “Fine.”

Riley clapped her hands. “Yay!” She skipped through the mall, all the way to the store. Lucas mimicked her, following her.

She stopped in front of the open entrance, festive holiday colors adorning the walls. Lucas sneezed upon entering the shop.

Riley laughed. “You’ll get used to the smell.”

He inhaled the mix of fragrances. “It smells like flowers and about a billion other things.”

Riley rolled her eyes at the older boy and looked around. Several sales were going on, as Christmas was in four days. Riley looked at a row of holiday lotions before picking up a tube and handing it to Lucas. “Do you think Maya would like this?” she asked. Lucas wrinkled his nose.

“The only thing I know that Maya likes is you, your Uncle Josh, and making fun of me,” he replied.

“Very true,” Riley laughed. They continued to look around the shop until a salesperson came up to the pair.

“Do you need help finding anything?” the lady asked politely. Riley smiled in return.

“Actually, I was wondering if you had any Sugar Plum Swirl perfume?” Riley asked. She planned to put it in her own stocking, as it was the only thing she had bought for herself so far, plus it was purple.

“Right over here,” the saleslady responded, showing her a rack of holiday scents. Lucas trailed behind her, tinkering with the sample perfume bottles on the shelves. “I would buy a couple if you really like it, because it’s going to be out of season soon, and they’re on sale.”

“Thank you,” Riley said politely.

The saleslady smiled. She started to walk away, but something stopped her. “You two are a very cute couple, by the way,” she added.

Lucas and Riley both blushed. “Actually, we’re not together, but thank you. He is pretty adorable,” she said, pinching his cheek. Lucas rolled his eyes, but his smile widened.

“I’m sorry,” she apologized, but the way they blushed around each other didn’t go unnoticed by the young woman. “It’s just that I could never even get my boyfriend to come in here, so this one must be a keeper,” she smiled, walking away to help someone else.

Neither Lucas or Riley said anything to each other until they paid for their things and were out of the store.

“Do you think anyone will judge me if I smell like lavender now?” Lucas asked, but not forgetting what she had said about him in the store. Riley stifled a giggle.

“They will if you sampled anything,” Riley said. Lucas didn’t reply as they continued to walk around the mall.

“You did, didn’t you!” she laughed, grabbing his arm to stop him. Lucas slumped his shoulders in defeat, clearly embarrassed.

“It was just sitting there, okay? And you were busy talking to that saleswoman so I sprayed some on my wrist,” he admitted. Riley nearly doubled over.

“Riley, you’re laughing at me?” he asked, somewhat hurt. Riley gasped for breath as she tried to stop.

“No, I promise I wasn’t,” she said breathlessly. She grabbed his wrist and put it close to her face. “See? You smell very nice. It’s manly on you,” she offered, afraid she had hurt his feelings.

Lucas rubbed his wrist on his jeans to get rid of the fragrance. “What do I smell like now?”

Riley sniffed him. “Pine trees. You always do.” Lucas blushed at the fact that she noticed little things like that about him.

Lucas gave her a smile as they went to the other stores they had to visit, but he noticed that Riley had failed to release her hold on his arm until they got home.

* * *

Later, Riley and Lucas subsided in Riley’s room, several shopping bags surrounding them. Riley had grabbed several rolls of festive holiday wrapping paper, Scotch tape, ribbons, black Sharpies, and scissors, including all of the presents she had previously bought. Both of them carefully took all of the items out of the bags and put them on the wrapping paper.

“Do you have anything you need wrapped?” Riley asked. He hadn’t gotten anything at the mall, as he said he had already bought all of his presents beforehand, but he had agreed to help her wrap all the presents she had got.

“My mom wrapped everything before she left for Texas,” he explained.

Riley cut out a sheet of paper that would fully cover the T-shirt that she had gotten Maya. She neatly folded the wrapping paper over the shirt and put tape on the open seams. She wrote 'To Maya,' and 'Love, Riley,' on the paper. She curled a ribbon with her scissors and set it to the side as she picked up another item that needed to be wrapped. She saw that Lucas was sitting in the same position he had been the entire time, unmoving. He hadn’t even touched any of the presents on the surrounding floor. “You okay?” she asked, tentatively touching his hand.

He bit his lip. “Would it be horrible if I told you that I’ve never wrapped a present before?”

Riley shook her head softly. “No. It just means that I get to share another new Christmas experience with you, and those are always pleasantly surprising.”

Lucas smiled as Riley moved over towards him, cutting out a sheet of paper for a science book she had bought for Smackle.

“Okay,” she said as she moved to his right side, nervously moving her hands over Lucas’s, resting her fingers overtop his gently. Lucas felt his heart pulsating at a faster rate than it usually did. This was the normal reaction he got around her. She moved his hands with hers and folded the paper. At one point, he smiled up at her and they both realized just how close they were to each other. Within kissing distance. Lucas seemed to be thinking something similar to her thoughts, glancing quickly at her lips.

Before Riley’s emotions took over her sense, she squeezed his hands and he turned his head back to the present. They didn’t talk for a few minutes, working in silence, trying to find a way to get past the moment they just had without being awkward.

“In those cheesy rom-com movies, the guys are usually the ones who show girls how to do stuff like this,” Lucas said quickly, trying to act like nothing had happened, trying to pretend that he wasn’t completely smitten with the wonderful brunette girl next to him.

Riley cocked her head to the side, daring him to continue. “Then I’ll be killing two birds with one stone. Vanquishing gender stereotypes and teaching you how to properly wrap presents.” Lucas was a little shocked, but then again, what he said was kind of sexist. He didn’t meant to be...he wasn’t that type of guy and was all for equality but all he had been trying to do was to change the subject. He tried to focus on something other than the fact that he was so close to her he could see how deep her brown eyes were, but it proved to be nearly impossible.

“Sorry...I didn’t mean it like that,” he mumbled. She nodded in understanding.

“It’s okay,” she said. “I just don’t want to repeat what happened in science in the eighth grade.”

Lucas nodded in agreement. Eighth grade...that was when they decided to just stay friends.

Friends. That word kept popping up in his mind. He knew that Riley was something more than his friend. And he wanted to act on those feelings. He felt like she did, too, even though neither of them acknowledged it to the other. If they did, it was through compliments, secret smiles, and sentiments, but they never said anything out loud expressing if they still felt that connection he had felt with her since that fateful day on the subway. He looked desperately into her eyes, almost pleading with her to say something, and she seemed to have a similar look in hers as she glanced back.

Then she broke the gaze and gave him a sweet smile, and it was like nothing had ever happened. Lucas gave her a matching grin, but he wondered if she knew that the look in his eyes was not just a friend looking at another friend. If she did, she didn’t give any indication.

Lucas turned his focus back to the task at hand. He just had to make it to Christmas, and then he would surprise her with the huge plan that he had been thinking about for the past several months.

Little did he know that she had a plan for him, too.

* * *

The pair was wrapping their last few gifts. Riley had moved to sit next to Lucas instead of across from him. According to her, it was because she could tell him how to fix something before he messed it up too much, but deep down she knew there was a much bigger reason behind her motives.

“I can’t believe you have such little faith in my gift-wrapping abilities,” Lucas sighed, feigning hurt. Riley shook her head at him.

“I can’t believe that you don’t know how much faith I put in you,” she said, and even though he had been joking, she meant what she said.

Lucas nodded as if he understood, knowing that she believed in all people. She saw good and hope in everyone. She was Pluto to him: the smallest planet with the biggest heart, and she was someone he had absolute trust in.

Without thinking, Lucas jokingly took a piece of tape off the roll and stuck it over her mouth, pressing it to her lips to make it stick. She widened her eyes at him as she tried to scream and talk against the restraint of the sticky tape.

Lucas laughed and pulled it off her pretty mouth. She slightly winced and gave him an innocent yet curious look. “What was that for? Did I say something wrong?”

“No, of course not,” Lucas smiled. “Why would you think that?”

She shrugged. “Well, for one, you put a piece of tape on my mouth and I’m a lot to handle sometimes, and I do talk about some crazy things…,” she trailed off. It hurt him that she thought so little of herself.

“Even if you do talk about crazy things sometimes,” he smiled, “I love hearing about them. I love talking to you.”

Riley looked surprised, but she had a smile on her face. “You do?”

Lucas nodded his head, disbelieving that she doubted how he felt about their talks. “My favorite thing in this world is when you talk to me.”

The widest smile he had seen on Riley’s face yet played on her lips, and Lucas grinned too, feeling happy that what he had said had caused it.

“Lucas…,” she whispered, and the pleading look in her eyes was back. She opened her mouth to tell him something, hopefully the words he had been waiting so long to hear from her, and then someone knocked on the door.

Both their heads snapped up to see Cory Matthews standing at the door. “Dinner is ready,” he announced evenly, even though his eyes told a different story. He looked disdainfully at the couple who claimed they were 'just friends.'

Riley and Lucas looked back at each other one more time before following him out the door.


	5. Ice Skating

The next day, everyone got up bright and early. Every year, the Matthews’ family went ice skating at Rockefeller Center. Lucas, who had never ice skated, seemed excited but also nervous about making a total fool out of himself, Riley, apparently, was just as clumsy on the ice as she was on ground, so she normally stuck to the rails, Cory and Topanga infamously ruled every couple skate, and Auggie, during past years, had held hands with Ava and tried to keep balance that way. They all had their own thing for each tradition, it seemed.

They arrived at the center and laced up their skates. Lucas had much difficulty, so Riley laced his up for him, occasionally looking up through the strands of hair in her face to smile at him. Lucas had the urge to push away the hair in her face, but thought better of it. With Cory Matthews around keeping a watch on him, it would probably result in his death. Maybe he would crush him with a Zamboni. The point was, Cory was crazy when Lucas got around his daughter, and he didn’t want to do anything to set him off when that was all he was doing: watching.

Lucas and Riley got on the ice, while Cory and Topanga skated together holding hands, and Auggie and Ava shadowed them. Riley clumsily held onto a rail, gripping it as she tried to balance herself. Lucas, on the other hand, skated a few yards slowly without falling, which Riley cheered at. He continued to skate without falling, this time faster, and he rounded his way back to Riley as he dodged all of the other people there.

“You’re a natural,” Riley said, shocked, as he leaned against the rail beside her.

“You sound surprised,” Lucas said amused.

“Like I said, you always pleasantly surprise me, Lucas Friar,” she smiled. She grabbed the railing as a few people shoved past her, her feet sliding slightly under. Lucas wondered if this always happened when she went ice skating.

He offered her his hand. She looked at it puzzled. “Come skate with me,” he said.

She laughed. “There’s a reason I stick to the rail, Lucas, and it’s not because I’m a gold medalist in ice skating.”

“Like _I_ said, I’ll always catch you, Riley Matthews,” he said, mimicking her words from earlier.

She gave him a small smile and took his hand, still able to feel the warmth of his fingers despite the cold.

Riley took a few small steps on the ice, gripping Lucas’s hand iron tight. Whenever she started to fall out of step with his movements, Lucas pulled her back, making sure she didn’t fall. She stopped worrying so much as his green eyes reassured her that he would catch her.

After a long while, she began to glide against the ice, slowly and carefully, but she was doing it. She cheered with excitement as she slid a couple of yards without falling down, and Lucas looked down at her in awe, clutching her smaller hand.

Lucas and Riley took a break for a few minutes and sat down near the rink as the Zamboni ran over the ice. Riley noticed that they hadn’t stopped holding hands. He looked down at their intertwined fingers, too, but neither of them let go, and they were perfectly okay with that.

Couple skate was announced as the Zamboni finished polishing the ice, and the two looked at each other.

“Let’s go skate,” Lucas grinned, squeezing her hand.

She smiled. “You want to?”

“There’s nobody else I’d rather couple skate with,” Lucas admitted. Riley felt the butterflies in her stomach rise as the sweet words came out of his mouth.

“Okay,” she said. Lucas ran his thumb over the back of her hand as they got back on the ice. She looked up and smiled at him.

The duo held onto each other’s hands tightly, and not just because Riley was a klutz. He skated slowly at first, then carefully twirled her in a circle. She staggered again, just like she had that first night at her house, and landed in his arms. Riley could feel how warm his breath was. His hands were wrapped around her mid-back, holding tightly onto her, and her hands were around his neck. She looked into his eyes. There it was again, the pleading look. She was sure the same look was reflected back into her own eyes as well. That’s when she was once again aware of how close they were. How they were once again within kissing distance. Lucas’s eyes flickered down to her lips, just like he had during that moment last night. He had a distant thought of Riley’s father knocking him down on the ice if he saw them at that moment, but Riley was mainly engulfing his mind.

Riley suddenly remembered where she was, and that her parents and brother were somewhere nearby. She released her hold on his neck and he removed his hands from her back. Riley looked around, seeing that Cory, Topanga, and the kids were taking off their skates, looking expectantly at them. They both skated back, and Riley and Lucas chose to ignore the way Cory glared at the older boy holding his daughter’s hand.

* * *

Lucas sat in the bay window, thinking about the plan he had for his big moment that he had promised her all those years ago. He had gotten Riley the best Christmas present ever, and Christmas was when he planned to reveal his feelings for her. He had had so many great opportunities to tell her, but they both just kept freezing up. What if he choked during his moment?

He looked down and smiled. Riley was sitting on the floor, twirling her hair on the end of her pencil as she worked on an assignment for break. She looked up and met his smile with equal enthusiasm. Lucas knew he was ready to date her this time, but that didn’t stop him from being scared. Was she ready? Did she want to be with him?

Lucas looked down at her again, and admired the warmth that radiated from her smile, and knew that whatever happened between them, he would always want her in his life, and nothing could ever change that.


	6. Watching Christmas Movies

The next day went by fast. It was spent indoors, in cozy pajamas and drinking hot chocolate. Riley took her free day to read. She had started to like English a lot more ever since middle school, with Harper as their teacher. Besides, she had always liked books, and she realized she could read several grades above her grade level. Lucas seemed to have a similar idea, and they both curled up in the bay window facing each other, their feet entangled in the middle of the seat.

Sometimes Riley would look up from her book and find Lucas staring at her, smiling widely and observing her. He caught her doing the same thing to him a couple instances, too, and neither of them could help the smile they found growing on each other’s faces.

Several hours later, when it got dark, Riley put a bag of popcorn in the microwave and sat on the couch. Lucas and her had moved to the living room about an hour ago, no longer being able to focus on their books. Riley had decided that she was going to watch Hallmark Christmas movies. Lucas complained about having to watch chick flicks, but sat down next to her anyways, grabbing a handful of popcorn.

“I was going to save this for your stocking, but…,” Riley handed him a chocolate bar. Lucas grinned.

“What’s this for?”

Riley shrugged. “I remembered that you like to eat popcorn and chocolate when you’re at the movies.”

Lucas walked over to the fireplace and pulled something out of her stocking, handing her a pack of red gummy bears. “I might as well give you this, then,” he smirked.

Riley had a huge smile on her face. “Anything else I do at the movies that you know about?”

He laughed. “You bite the gummy bear’s heads off first so they feel less pain. You also look around the theatre if you think you laughed too much to see if anyone else heard you, and when you think something scary is going to happen, you reach out and grab my arm, and you don’t even realize when you do.”

“You must be observing me a lot when we go to the movies,” Riley teased.

Lucas’s mind immediately told him that this was a trap and he tried to change the subject off of him. “Clearly, you have been, too,” he waved the chocolate bar in her face. “Anything else you’ve noticed about me?” he smiled amusedly.

She blushed. “Maybe we should just start the movie,” she suggested.

“Wise choice, Miss Matthews,” he smirked. Riley played a Hallmark movie titled _A Royal Christmas._

The movie was about a girl named Emily who worked at her father’s tailor business. Plot twist: ( _Not really,_ Lucas thought. _Even I don’t need Farkle to guess what happens next_ ) her boyfriend turns out to be a prince.

The movie continued on slowly, and even Lucas found himself interested in the storyline, though he kept getting lost. It was hard to keep up when Riley was sitting next to him. He always watched her at the movies, and he was doing the same then. He would just look over at her and remember how grateful he was to have her in his life.

At some point in the movie, Lucas felt him sniffling right along with Riley when the girl broke it off with her prince boyfriend because she didn’t fit in with his royal friends. Riley turned to him and asked, “Are you crying?”

“No,” he lied. “I have popcorn salt in my eye.”

“Aw,” she whispered. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him closer to her, which he didn’t complain about. She brushed her fingers over his forehead. and said, “Poor baby Lucas.”

Lucas barely muttered, “I’m not a baby,” before Riley laughed and let go of him, much to his dismay.

“I know you’re not, but it’s fun to tease you,” she smirked.

Lucas silently grumbled as the movie continued.

* * *

“I wish I was a princess for Christmas,” Riley sighed as the end credits rolled in. The girl ended up marrying her prince boyfriend in the end, which was about as predictable as saying the sun would shine tomorrow.

Lucas found his arm looped around Riley’s shoulders. When had that happened? He didn’t remember putting his arm there, but left it around Riley anyways. “You already are. You’ve always been a princess to me,” he smiled.

She smiled back, remembering that day. “You’ve always been my prince,” she answered warmly, playing with his fingers, the other arm around her still.

They stayed grinning at each other until the blaring of the TV brought them back to their senses, and Riley laid back comfortably against the arm around her shoulders as she played another movie.

* * *

Lucas opened his eyes, the darkness engulfing his vision. He leaned over and turned on a lamp and saw Cory sitting at the kitchen table, eating a bowl of Fruit Loops.

“Mr. Matthews? Why are you up so early, sir?” Lucas asked. The oven clock read two in the morning.

Cory shrugged. “I could ask the same of you, Mr. Friar,” he said, pointing at the couch. Lucas looked down and saw Riley’s sleeping face. She was laying on the opposite side of the couch, their legs overlapping in the middle. He felt redness in his cheeks. Lucas opened his mouth to explain himself before he was interrupted.

“I know nothing happened, Lucas. You’re not that kind of person. You fell asleep watching movies, I’m guessing? Really, I don’t blame you. Those Hallmark movies are very boring,” Cory said, shoving another mouthful of Fruit Loops onto his spoon.

“You’re not mad, sir?” Lucas asked worriedly. This seemed very unlike Cory, to treat him nicely when it came to his daughter.

Cory sighed. “No. As much as I might want to be, I’m not. I’ve seen this coming since you walked into my classroom that very first day. It was only a matter of time,” he said as he took another bite of his cereal. “I’m honestly surprised it hasn’t come sooner. You kids have been acting goofy around each other all week.”

“If you’ve seen this coming, why do you always look like you want to kill me?” Lucas asked nervously.

“No father ever wants to let go of his little girl. But at some point, your children start to drift towards their friends. I trust that Riley’s made very good decisions about who those friends are. It’s still hard to let go, though,” Cory confessed. He dropped his spoon in his bowl, looking wistfully at his daughter. She stirred a little, then rolled over onto her side and was silent again. Lucas thought she looked adorable.

“Why me, sir? Why do you only get nervous when I’m around your daughter? Why not any of her other guy friends, like Farkle or Zay?” He had always wondered this, and thought this a good time to ask.

Cory gave him a small smile. “Lucas, you and I both know that you and Riley have never been just friends.” It struck Lucas as he realized how true it really was. “I’ve always known that. But are you ready for that commitment yet?”

Lucas nodded and stood up, walking over to the table. “I believe that two people should come together at the right time of their own free will,” he said as he sat down. He pulled the thing he had gotten Riley out of his pocket. “So, I got her this. I wanted to ask you first, if that’s okay,” he said, sliding it across the table.

Cory looked pale for a second, then recovered, and opened the box. “A promise ring?” His serious expression morphed into a small smile. “Huh,” he muttered to himself, the smile still there.

“Sir?” Lucas asked worriedly. What if he said no?

“You know, the first Christmas I spent with Topanga,” Cory said nostalgically, “we got each other promise rings.” Suddenly, he snapped out of his thoughts. “Yeah. You give this to her, Lucas. I think you guys are ready, so I give you my blessing.”

“Really?” Lucas asked disbelievingly. He had expected that Cory would need a lot of convincing.

“I see they way my daughter seems to smile even more than she already does when you’re around. I want what makes her happy, even if I’m not ready to let go of her yet,” he smiled, handing him back the ring box. Lucas put it back in his pocket.

“Thank you, sir,” Lucas said, feeling much happier knowing that Cory was okay with him dating his daughter.

Cory stood up and put his empty bowl in the sink. “Go back to sleep, Lucas. I never saw you. This was all a dream. I can’t have Riley thinking that I actually like you.” Lucas grinned.

“Goodnight, sir,” Lucas said as he laid back down on the couch.

“Goodnight, Lucas,” Cory mumbled, patting him on the shoulder. He walked back up to bed as Lucas stared down at Riley, excited to give her a promise that should have come long ago.


	7. The Friend's Game

“Peaches!” Riley shrieked, throwing her arms around her best friend. It was Christmas Eve and Maya was finally back. Even though they had been constantly texting and calling, they had missed each other like crazy.

“Honey!” Maya yelled back, hugging her with an equal amount of enthusiasm. The girls headed up to the bay window to talk. Maya glanced at her room, and her eyes found her made bed.

“Riles, why is your bed made? You never make your bed,” Maya pointed out.

Riley bit her lip. “That’s because I didn’t sleep in my room last night.”

Maya’s eyes widened. “You mean…” She didn’t dare fill in the blanks.

“I fell asleep on the couch watching movies with Lucas. Nothing happened,” Riley explained, reassuring her of the truth.

Maya plopped down in the bay window. “Good. I thought I would have to kill Huckleberry already and I just got back. I sure am a good bad influence. I wasn’t even around and you did something bad!”

“It wasn’t that bad,” Riley blushed. “It was an accident.”

Maya shrugged. “If you say so. So what happened with Huckleberry? Anything good?”

The little moments of the past week sped through Riley’s mind before she replied. “We...almost kissed a couple of times maybe.”

Maya widened her mouth in shock. “I miss all the good stuff! What happened to make you not kiss?”

Riley shrugged. “We just kept getting...interrupted, I guess. LIke my dad showed up to call for dinner one time-”

“Aw, I missed Matthews walking in on your smooch? I’m really gonna get Shawn for this one.”

Riley smiled, shaking her head. “Anyways, how did your trip go?”

“It was great, but never mind that. I want to hear about you and Ranger Rick,” Maya smirked, wiggling her eyebrows.

So Riley told her about decorating the tree and baking Christmas cookies, shopping, ice skating, and watching Hallmark movies. Maya listened intently, a smirk on her face. “Finally! I’ve been waiting forever for you and Sundance to get together.”

“About that…,” Riley said, fishing something out of her pocket. Riley presented Lucas’s present to her. Maya gaped at it.

“Are you going to propose to him?” Maya asked in shock. Riley laughed.

“It’s a promise ring. My parents gave each other their promise rings when they spent their first Christmas together. I wanted to give it to him, but first I wanted to know what you thought.”

Maya laughed. “Of course you should, Riles. Why are you asking me?”

“I just don’t want you to think that I’m replacing our friendship rings. My friendship ring has always been the most important item I’ve ever owned, and it always will be,” Riley admitted, putting her hand on Maya’s. Maya smiled.

“I know. It will always be the most important thing to me, too,” Maya replied, hugging the brunette girl.

_“I wish the world was just me and you,” Riley had once said._

_“Then it is,” the blonde girl had replied._

“The world isn’t just me and you anymore. And I’m okay with that. I may have not liked change in the past, and I don’t now, but if we remember that we are always going to be best friends, then I think we’re going to be just fine. Because this isn’t goodbye, even though it kinda feels like one,” Maya confessed.

“We’ll be okay, Peaches. I know we will be,” Riley responded. And they were.

* * *

Maya was going to spend Christmas with her family, so after a few more hours of visiting with Riley and a tearful goodbye, she left, and promised she would see her in the morning.

Soon enough, it was already time for Auggie to go to bed. “Come on, Aug. It’s time to read _A Christmas Carol_ ,” Riley exclaimed. Every Christmas Eve, Riley took it upon herself to read him the Christmas classic by Charles Dickens. Auggie got settled into bed and Riley picked the big book off the shelf, opening to the first page. Lucas walked in and sat down next to her in Auggie’s little chairs.

“Mind if I join?” Lucas smiled.

Riley grinned. “Not at all. We were just getting started.” She settled into the chair and began to read. “‘Marley was dead: to begin with. There is no doubt whatever about that…’” Lucas couldn’t help but admire her as she articulated each word perfectly and read at an even pace so that Auggie could keep up. He was only nine, after all. Riley was oblivious to the way that Lucas stared at her as she read the book. Cory and Topanga came in and out of the room every once in a while to listen in.

Riley finished the book and closed it softly. Auggie looked like he was going to fall asleep at any moment. She leaned over the bed and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. Before his courage was thrown, Lucas asked, “Can I have one, too?” Riley gave him a goofy grin as she met his eyes.

“You’re not even going to bed yet,” she responded, but walked over to him. She stood on her tippy-toes and gave him a small peck on the cheek. Riley felt her face going red but Lucas gazed at her with a huge smile played on his lips.

Riley and Lucas went up to the bay window and sat. Riley crossed her legs as she rested her head against the glass window. “Thank you for the best Christmas ever, Riles,” Lucas said gratefully.

“I should be thanking you,” she said, looking into his green eyes. “I thought I was going to be lonely this whole week without Maya, but I was lucky enough to get to spend the whole week with you. Thank you, Lucas.”

They smiled at each other, staring into the other’s eyes before one of them spoke. “Where did you guys get your Christmas traditions, anyways?” Lucas asked.

Riley tried to recall the whole story. “When my parents were younger, they spent their very first Christmas together. They were like us, in high school, and my mom kept trying to force her Christmas traditions on everyone. Her parents bought a real tree, they had a beautiful star tree topper, they went caroling, drank cider, they acted out _A Christmas Carol_ , opened all of their presents on Christmas Eve, and made Christmas tree-shaped pancakes with powdered sugar. My father’s family had a silver tree, had my father’s tree topper, drank eggnog, Mr. Feeny read them _A Christmas Carol_ , they opened all of their presents on Christmas Day, and ate their pancakes with syrup. When they got married, they decided to compromise some of their traditions. We get a real tree, but we use my tree topper. We drink eggnog, but we eat Christmas tree-shaped pancakes with powdered sugar. We open one present on Christmas Eve, we definitely do not go caroling, and I get to read Auggie _A Christmas Carol_. They picked up the rest along the way.”

“Wow,” Lucas chuckled. “I have a feeling your dad argued strongly on no caroling?”

“Yeah,” she giggled. “When they argued about it that first Christmas, he felt so bad he came home singing Christmas carols to her. That’s when they gave each other their promise rings.”

“Yeah, that’s what your dad told me,” Lucas replied, then mentally slapped himself.

“When did you talk to my dad?” Riley asked curiously. She didn’t remember them having a conversation when she was around, and she had literally been attached at the hip with Lucas the whole week.

“At two this morning,” Lucas laughed, nonchalantly trying to play off the question. He didn’t want her to find out about his plan quite yet. He had been planning to talk to her tomorrow night, after all the craziness of Christmas died down a little.

“What did you talk about?” Riley wondered. Lucas internally groaned.

“The weather,” Lucas deadpanned, saying the first thing that popped into his head.

Riley gave him a strange look. “Did he threaten you or something?”

“No, nothing like that,” Lucas replied nervously. He was hoping she would drop the subject, but Riley wasn’t easily fooled when it came to this sort of thing and she was very persistent. “We talked about baseball...the Phillies,” he finished lamely.

Riley looked very unconvinced still. “Okay, if you don’t want to tell me, then that’s fine,” she offered, sounding a little hurt.

“It’s nothing big, I swear,” he explained. “It just has to do with your Christmas present and I don’t want you to find out what it is until tomorrow.”

Riley’s face brightened. “I can’t wait to give you your present. You’re not allowed to open it until tomorrow night, though.”

He raised his eyebrows. “I’m a little curious now.”

She shrugged. “I guess you’ll have to wait.” Lucas groaned as Riley told him to quit whining. An idea suddenly popped into Riley’s head.

“I have an idea! Let’s play a game,” she exclaimed as she rummaged through her closet. She pulled out a rectangular box. Lucas read it as she set it down on the floor. He joined her on the floor.

“The Friend’s Game?” Lucas asked. Was this her way of saying she wanted to be stay friends? Lucas looked into her eyes, wondering what she meant.

Riley laughed. “It was either this or The Couple’s Game, and my dad keeps that downstairs so I don’t play it with any boys.” Lucas laughed nervously, trying not to read too much into the game. “Basically, we take turns picking up cards and answering them. Wanna play?”

Lucas nodded. “Why not?” Riley took the top of the box off and sifted through the cards, laying them on the floor in neat stacks.

Riley picked up a card on the top. “If you could take your friend to any one place, where would it be?” She sat in thought for a moment. “Paris.”

Lucas smirked. “Any reason why you would want to go to the city of love with me?”

Riley blushed. “No. I’ve just always wanted to go.”

“Well, I did tell you we might go one day,” Lucas said. Riley furrowed her eyebrows, then her eyes widened in recognition.

“That’s what you told me in French that day in art class?” she asked surprised.

Lucas laughed. “I said ‘Maybe one day, you and I will go to Paris together.’”

Riley laughed with him. “That is officially the most romantic thing anyone has ever said to me.”

Lucas grinned and picked up a card. “Secrets don’t make friends! Tell your friend your biggest secret,” he faltered. Riley gaped at the card as she grabbed it out of his hand.

“Lucas, you don’t have to-,” Riley began.

Lucas shook his head. “I think it’s time that I told you.” He took a deep breath. “The first time I was in the seventh grade, there was this kid. He kept bullying Zay, and pushing him around and stuff. One day, he shoved him up against his locker, and I guess something inside of me snapped.” Lucas looked down at his hands. “I started swinging punches and I got expelled. My dad got transferred, and now I’m here with you.” He bit his lip. “I didn’t tell you guys because I didn’t want you to think of me differently. I’m not like that anymore, but sometimes I wonder if I really still am that person deep down inside.

“Lucas,” Riley whispered, reaching over the pile of cards to massage his knuckles. “I’m glad you told me, and I’m sorry that you’ve been keeping that to yourself for so long. You’re not that person anymore. You’re different than you were, remember? I don’t think of you any differently than I did before I knew. You are the same Lucas I’ve always known, okay?”

He nodded, rubbing her hands with his thumbs. “Thank you, Riley. For always being here for me. I don’t think that I would be the person I am today without you.” He met her eyes. “People change people, right? You changed me for the better. I can never thank you enough for that.”

Riley smiled at him, shaking her head. “You don’t have to. Being here with you and knowing you is thanks enough.” Lucas felt more love for the brunette girl than he usually did.

“Do you want to stop the game?” Riley asked. She was worried about him. She never wanted to force the truth out of him again, but he obliged. She hoped that he wasn’t too upset.

“Let’s keep going,” Lucas said, picking up another card for her.

“Okay. What do you think your friends would do if you were hurt?” Riley read. “Well, you knocked down everything in my bay window when I was being bullied.”

“And ripped apart a counter,” he added.

“So, yeah. I guess we’ve got that one covered,” Riley shrugged. Lucas picked up another card.

“Do you think it’s possible to fall in love with one of your friends?” Lucas spoke aloud. Both of them sat in stunned silence.

“Well, friendship is the foundation for all relationships,” Lucas stated, looking into her eyes. Both of them were hopeful.

“So…,” Riley mumbled, her eyes pleading for him to continue.

“Yeah. I think it’s definitely possible,” he said.

Riley felt her heart rate increase. She struggled to tell him the words she had felt for him for so long.

They both held back the words that needed to be said. So, Riley just did what she did best: being a Riley. She cheerfully picked up another card and acted as if they both weren’t scared to tell the other how they really felt. They continued the game for several more hours, but none of the cards intrigued either of them like that last one had.


	8. Promise Rings

“What was your friend’s first impression of you?” Riley read aloud tiredly. They only had a couple cards to go and they were done with the game.

“I was scared of you,” he mumbled, sleep in his eyes. Both had stayed up late to finish the game.

“Scared of me?” Riley asked disbelievingly. “Why?”

“You were gentle,” he yawned. “I was so angry all the time, and I was scared that you believed in me so much. I thought I would let you down.”

Riley shook her head, a small smile on her lips. “You have never let me down. I put so much faith in you because I knew you were somebody to have faith in.” He smiled, something he seemed to be doing a lot more of around her.

Lucas picked up another card. “Tell your friend your first kiss.” He looked up and smirked. “Well…,” he began. A part of Riley wondered if it was her. “It was this beautiful girl in a purple dress who fell into my lap on the subway for a second time.”

“This girl sounds very clumsy,” Riley deadpanned, then let out a tinkly laugh, relieved that it wasn’t some other girl from Texas. “Was she your first date, too?”

“Yeah. I even asked her father’s permission to take her out on a date,” he chuckled. “It was a moment I’ll remember forever.”

“Same for me,” Riley replied, looking down at the mess of cards sprawled on the floor. She stifled a yawn and grabbed the last card. Before she could read it, loud footsteps neared her door.

“It’s Christmas!” Auggie yelled loudly, knocking on her door. He ran back down the steps.

Riley looked at Lucas in disbelief, setting the card back down. “We stayed up all night?”

Lucas shrugged. “I guess so.”

They both bounded down the steps after Auggie to see presents crowding the tree. Every person had several, even Lucas, who had gotten some from the Matthews’ and from his parents, who had dropped off his gifts before they had left.

A half an hour later, wrapping paper completely covered the surface of the floor. Everyone made little stacks of their presents and took them to their room soon after. All of Maya’s presents stayed unopened in Riley’s room, where they would present their gifts to each other when she arrived at the bay window.

Topanga made everyone Christmas tree-shaped pancakes, setting powdered sugar and syrup on the table as well. Cory poured nearly a whole bottle of syrup on his pancakes, while everyone else ate theirs with a little, and Topanga using none at all.

After breakfast, Riley went to her room and laid on her bed, waiting for Maya. She was so exhausted from talking to Lucas all night. Nearly an hour later, Maya lifted open the bay window and stumbled in her room, throwing herself on her bed. Riley shielded her eyes by putting her arm over her face, the light from the bay window too bright for her tired eyes.

“Get up, honey. It’s Christmas!” Maya shouted. Riley sat up in her bed.

“What happened to being all ‘bah, humbug’ about the holidays?” Riley asked confused, but also pleasantly surprised. Maya had never been a huge advocate for Christmas, knowing that her mother couldn’t afford the extravagant gifts that came with the spirit of the season.

“Christmas was actually pretty cool at my house,” Maya shrugged. Suddenly, her eyes narrowed at the floor. “What were you guys doing? It’s a mess in here!”

“We played The Friend’s Game,” Riley responded, moving to sit at the edge of her bed.

Maya sat next to her. “Why not The Couple’s Game? Isn’t that you want? To be a couple with ol’ Huckleberry?”

“That would have been like throwing myself at him. Besides, my dad keeps that game under lockdown.”

Maya pulled something out of her pocket. “I got you a present!”

Riley smiled. “Ooh! What happened to putting my name in The Maya Hart New Coat Foundation?”

“I thought that this would be better,” Maya grinned. Riley took it out of her hands and opened it.

A little note was attached to the inside of the box. “To match our friendship rings. Merry Christmas.~Maya.” Inside was two friendship bracelets. One bracelet was bright gold, and the other was a beautiful purple. Both of them had charms on them, with a monogrammed letter charm on each.

“Oh, Peaches! I love them!” Riley cried. She hugged her best friend fiercely. She immediately put hers on, and Maya slipped hers on her wrist as well.

“I know you’ve been worrying about our friendship lately, and I wanted to give you a reminder of why you shouldn’t.”

“Thank you, Peaches,” Riley explained, tinkering with the charms. One was a cat, another a sun. Suddenly, she groaned. “It’s the best time to be a Riley and I’m too tired to enjoy it,” she whined.

“Let’s sleep!” Maya announced, pulling the covers over their eyes. Riley settled into her bed, happy to finally sleep after her long night.

* * *

“Boing! We meet again,” Maya greeted, looking at the dark-headed boy. Cory’s family had arrived later that evening.

“Maya,” Josh greeted. “How’ve you been?”

“Better now that you’re here,” she replied coolly. Riley shook her head and sighed. But instead of telling her he was three years older, he played along.

“Still playing the long game?” Josh quipped.

“Always,” she replied. Riley could see hope in her eyes, something that was rarely in the eyes of Maya Hart.

“Mind if I play?” Josh asked. Maya’s eyes widened, surprised.

A genuine smile replaced Maya’s teasing smirk. “Yeah. I’d like that.”

Riley was happy that her best friend was full of hope again, even if that hope was that she was going to be Riley's aunt. She smiled as Maya and Josh walked over to the couch and sat down.

Lucas came up behind Riley. He had been trying to find a way to talk to her all evening.

“Riles,” Lucas whispered. She slightly jumped and turned around.

“Hey, Lucas,” she mumbled softly.

“What are you doing?” he asked. Riley gestured to Josh and Maya, who were busy talking to each other.

“I didn’t think it would ever happen,” Riley sighed happily. “I’m so glad that he finally sees how great Maya is despite the age difference.”

“I think he always has,” Lucas responded. “He just couldn’t see past the fact that he was three years older than her.”

Riley gave him a small smile as she walked upstairs. Lucas watched her curiously. “You coming or what?” she asked. He smiled.

Lucas and Riley sat out on the fire escape after grabbing their coats. “What are we doing out here?” Lucas wondered. He shoved his hands in his pockets because of the cold.

“I wanted to show you my own personal tradition,” Riley explained. She looked up at the bright stars adorning the sky. “Every Christmas, I come out here and I say what I’m thankful for.”

“Isn’t that what Thanksgiving is for?” Lucas quipped. She shot him a look.

“Yes. But I think people should do it more often than once a year,” she retorted.

“I’m just kidding,” he said, nudging her. She rolled her eyes, amused. “So why did you want to show me?”

She shrugged. “Well, I’ve never told anyone before. And I figured I owed you for telling me that you wanted to be a veterinarian.” She glimpsed again at the stars.

Lucas felt the promise ring weighing down his pocket. “You don't owe me anything," he responded.

Riley smiled anyways. "Still. Okay, I'll start." She looked down at her hands for a second. "I am thankful for my family and friends, Maya, for believing in something again, you, for spending this past week with me and for learning to be happy, Farkle, for opening himself up to love, Smackle, for speaking her mind always, and for Zay, for making all of us laugh." She glanced at him. "You want to go?"

Lucas nodded, smiling at her words. "I’m thankful for my family and my friends, for accepting me for who I am and always being there, your family, for letting me stay here for Christmas,” he started, “Mr. Matthews for trying to teach us about life, and for you, the most amazing person I have ever met.”

“Lucas?” Riley asked in disbelief.

Lucas pulled a card out of his pocket. It was the last card from The Friend’s Game. “This is the last card you never got to answer. I know it’s your turn, but I want to answer it first,” Lucas took a deep breath, finally feeling calm about this whole situation. Everything felt right, and he felt like this was the perfect time for his moment. He had been waiting to tell her all of this for so long, and he felt relief seep through his body as he handed her the card. “Read it,” he urged. She flipped it over with her dainty fingers.

“How do you feel about your friend?” Riley spoke, looking nervously up at him.

“We’ve been dancing around our relationship for the past four years, never saying how we really felt. I want to clarify that I love you, Riley Matthews. Not like a friend, or a brother, or anything like that. I am in love with-” Lucas cut off when Riley’s lips smashed into his own. Both of them felt that fluttery, fireworks-exploding, sparks-flying feeling they had felt during their first kiss as their lips collided. Riley tangled her arms around his neck before pulling apart. “You,” Lucas finished breathlessly.

“Sorry, I just really wanted to do that,” Riley explained, glancing at him shyly.

Lucas smiled unbelievably wide at her, feeling every good emotion he could possibly think of times a billion, feeling like he could jump to the moon and back. “Never apologize for kissing me, Riley Matthews,” he grinned, putting his hand on her own. Riley’s smile was bigger than the sky above, happy tears in her eyes, as he pulled out the promise ring in his pocket. “I got you this,” he said. They were so close that he could feel her breath on his skin.

He opened the box and Riley nearly gasped. The ring was a silver band with a Pluto-looking gem in the center. She let out a tinkly laugh, moving her arms to her lap, and marvelled at it. “It’s a promise ring. It’s my promise to keep loving you and being here with you.” She squinted in the darkness and saw that there was an engraving on the outside of the band. “Always believe in Pluto,” she said.

Lucas nodded, a huge smile on his face. “Keep believing in Pluto, Riley. Keep seeing the good in others. That’s one of the things I love most about you: you found the good in me when no one else would.”

Lucas took the ring from the box and slipped it on her left ring finger (her friendship ring was on her right) and she grinned. “I have something for you, too,” she said.

His eyes crinkled. “You do?” Lucas asked. Riley nodded, pulling a matching ring box out of her pocket.

“Before Maya left for her trip, we were talking about priorities. She made me realize that it’s not always going to be just the two of us. And I realized that’s okay. Priorities change. The world keeps moving. And at the end of the day, she will always be my best friend. But, I really want to make you a priority in my life.” She opened the box. “I want you to know that I am in love with you, too,” she smiled. He looked at the ring closer, an engraving similar to his.

“You are my Pluto,” he read, looking up into her big brown eyes. A few tears had fallen onto her cheeks, but she was still smiling.

“My Pluto is you, Lucas. My Pluto is us,” she said, taking his hand. “Maybe not a lot of people believed in us, or you, like when we were trying to be a couple when we weren’t ready, or when we went on our first date in the seventh grade, or when you rode that bull, but I did. I always believed in us.”

“So did I,” Lucas said softly, feeling happier in that moment than he had in his entire life. He pulled her closer, putting his arms around her, and this time, he kissed her. She rested her arms around his neck, sighing in content, as she pressed her lips to the green-eyed boy’s.

As they pulled apart, Riley fiddled with Lucas’s fingers and slipped the matching ring on his right hand. “I love you,” Riley smiled happily.

“I love you, too,” Lucas responded meaningfully. Riley knew that he meant it, and leaned into him. It really was the best Christmas ever.

* * *

It was several hours later. Riley and Lucas sat on the couch, their hands carefully intertwined, his hand caressing her smaller one gently. Riley’s grandparents were getting ready to leave for their long drive home to Philly. Josh was nowhere to be found, and neither was Maya. Riley had a firm suspicion that they were together. As everyone searched each room for the two, Riley volunteered to check the roof. “I have a feeling they’re up there,” she smiled softly as she pulled Lucas along with her.

Riley’s suspicions were confirmed as she took careful steps, climbing the stairwell and quietly opening the door that led to the roof. Both her and Lucas peered out and saw Maya and Josh standing in the middle, backs facing the couple. Riley couldn’t help but smile as she watched her best friend and uncle exchange goodbyes.

“I guess you’re leaving soon,” Maya grimaced, her eyes glued to his face. They were searching for something.

Josh nodded. “I guess I am,” he agreed. He shoved his hands in his pockets, the wind around them chilling.

“You better go, then,” Maya mumbled softly, almost so quietly that Riley and Lucas couldn’t hear them. “Don’t want to keep everyone waiting.”

“Let them wait, Maya.” He pushed his hand through his dark hair. “I don’t want to leave you without saying goodbye.”

Maya turned away from him and started walking towards the roof. “I was never very good at those.”

“I know,” he muttered, following her to the ledge. He put a hand on her shoulder. “But I’m not leaving. Not forever. Not like your dad.”

Maya smiled at the hand resting on her torso, but it held a kind of sadness that only Josh or her father leaving brought out in her. “That’s what he told me. That he would be back,” she sighed. She looked up into his blue eyes. “Please come back,” she pleaded, hope set in her startling blue eyes.

“I promise, this isn’t goodbye,” he reassured her, removing the hand on her shoulder. “It’s more of a ‘see you later.’” Maya raised her eyebrows. He grinned. “It’s like a someday.”

Riley could see the hope in Maya’s eyes. _Don’t destroy it, Josh_ , Riley thought to herself.

“I know that the age gap is a big deal for you,” Maya responded, twiddling her thumbs. “Just… _don’t_ give me any false hope, Josh. Please.”

“It’s not false hope,” he reminded her. Josh took her small, pale hand, locking their fingers together. She looked down in surprise, then smiled. “The age gap used to matter to me. Just because I said I was too old for you...it never meant that I didn’t like you.” He took a step closer to her. “I like you, Maya. I always have.”

A genuine smile replaced Maya’s usual smirk. “Boyfriend and girlfriend right now?” Maya asked hopefully.

Josh shook his head. “I can give you a someday. Will you take that?” She nodded.

“I can’t believe this is actually happening,” she breathed, a shocked expression on her face. Riley grinned at the happiness on her friend’s face. Lucas squeezed her hand in earnest, happy for the two as well.

Josh released the hold he had on her hand and pulled something out of his back pocket. “There was...something else.” He revealed to her a long velvet box. Maya’s hands flew up to her face. He pulled back the box. Inside was a gold locket.

Josh smiled at the shorter girl. “I thought this might be a good replacement for the locket that you gave back to that family.” Maya’s mouth was wide open in shock.

“This is the nicest thing a guy’s ever done for me,” she said softly, but Riley could hear the smile in her voice.

“You can’t have met many nice guys,” he chuckled. “The reason you liked the other locket was because it gave you a sense of family, right?” He opened the locket still in the box. “Look inside.” There was a picture of Maya with all the Matthews, her mom and Shawn, and all of her friends. It was from her sixteenth birthday party: Josh was sitting next to her, his arm around the back of the couch where she sat. She hadn’t known it at the time, but Josh was gazing adoringly at her, like she was his whole world.

As Josh closed the locket, she saw a single word written in fancy gold lettering on the outside of the heart locket. “Someday?” she asked.

Josh nodded and got down on one knee, propping the velvet box in his hand. “Maya Penelope Hart, will you play the long game with me?” Maya shook her head yes vigorously, her smile threatening to fill up her entire face.

He laughed happily, picking the small blonde girl up, whirling her into an unexpected kiss. It was short, but sweet, and both of them seemed dazed afterwards.

Riley and Lucas silently cheered, wide grins filling up both their faces. Neither Josh or Maya seemed to care much when Riley knocked on the door after a few minutes and told Josh that her grandparents were looking for him. He gave Maya a hug and a quick squeeze of the hand before rushing downstairs to the meet his frustrated parents.

Lucas glanced at both of the girls, and a look of understanding passed between him and his new girlfriend. He followed after Josh, leaving the best friends alone.

Both the girls stood facing each other, grinning happily, before Riley broke the silence. “Thunder!” Riley beamed, throwing her index finger in the air.

Maya smiled, matching the brunette’s movements. “Lightning!”

“Forever,” both of them spoke in unison, much softer and peaceful than their usual emphasized ending.

Riley and Maya linked arms before descending down the staircase, happier than they had ever been.


End file.
